The presence of dissolved oxygen in drilling or completion fluids can increase corrosion or deterioration rate of drilling pipes and downhole equipment having metal surfaces. The rate of corrosion is affected by water and accelerated by electrolytes, such as those from salts present in drilling or completion fluids. One approach to reduce corrosion of metals in contact with dissolved oxygen is to “scavenge” the dissolved oxygen before it has a chance to oxidize the metal.
Mechanical deaeration can be used to reduce the level of dissolved oxygen in drilling or completion fluids. However, to ensure that the dissolved oxygen is at a sufficiently low level, chemical based oxygen scavengers are often required in many systems and processes.
Various oxygen scavengers have been developed. However, some known oxygen scavengers can decompose into potentially formation damaging compounds when used in high temperature environments. Others can be inactivated by heat. Still some oxygen scavengers may not be compatible with salts which are often encountered in a downhole environment. Thus, alternative means to remove or reduce dissolved oxygen in drilling and completion fluids are desired in the art.